


Part Of Your World

by solohux



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, M/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-20 15:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8253758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solohux/pseuds/solohux
Summary: Ben sits and waits on a secluded area of the beach for his merman to visit him.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I asked people [on tumblr](http://solohux.tumblr.com/post/151424543474/do-i-write-a-werewolf-kylo-oneshot-or-do-i) whether they preferred me to write a mermaid hux au or a werewolf kylo au....and mermaid hux won by a mile! i absolutely plan to write a werewolf kylo oneshot too! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! ❤️

The beach is always empty this time in the evening. From his quaint and dainty house on the cliff, Ben watches the sea as the sun begins its descent on the horizon, eyeing every shadow underneath its blue surface with eager eyes. He counts down the hours until all signs of _human_ life have left the beach and he’s free to walk down the stone steps in the cliff face to a secluded area in the corner of the beach, sit on the very edge of the shoreline, and wait.

It’s a warm evening in July, the mild wind blowing strands of his dark hair into his eyes but Ben’s gaze doesn’t falter, _never_ falters. The soothing sounds of the calm waves lapping up against the beach is like nature’s own clock, each wave like a passing second, _minute_ , that Ben sits and merely _waits,_ resting back on his hands, legs stretched out in front of him, a small, drawstring bag resting next to his hip. Like every night, he’d left his house without any shoes on, rolled his blue, baggy pants up to his knees, allowing the water to kiss the bare skin of his legs. His linen white shirt blows in the mild breeze, chilling his body.

But he won’t leave.

Just before his hope of being visited begins to waver, a dark silhouette appears in the water, light from the fading sun shimmying around it like a halo. Ben sits up, watching the silhouette get closer to him until he can see the shine of copper hair underneath the water’s surface. Breath held, Ben braces himself as the figure in the water emerges fully, pushing himself through the shallow water to the beach, his long, red tail dragging along behind him, his emerald eyes locked on Ben’s blushing face.

“You’re late,” Ben says, lips twisting into an eager smile.

The merman huffs, flicking a stray piece of his short, red hair back into place. He lies flat on his stomach in front of Ben, his tail still partially in the water, waves washing over the sweeping curves of his tail.

“You’re lucky I’ve come at all,” he replies, his tone clipped and sharp, though Ben finds it alluring. “My father was _interrogating_ me about where I swim off to every night.”

Ben raises his eyebrows. “What did you tell him?”

“That I meet a handsome land-dweller every night and talk to him about how much I wish I was human. What _do you think,_ Ben?”

Ben smirks. Hux’s quips and _loving_ insults are one of his favourite things about him. That, and his beautiful face, his lithe body…and his _tail._ Before Ben had found Hux trapped in a fishermen’s net, he hadn’t believed mermaids—or mer _men_ , rather—to even exist. Ben had freed him without hesitation, but the terrified creature had swam off before Ben could ask him his name. But whilst sitting on the shoreline one evening, the merman had come back, his bright eyes popping out of the water and offering Ben a pretty, little pearl in a gesture of thanks for saving him.

Ben thinks he’d fallen in love with Hux at that moment; when the merman had pushed the little pearl up the beach, knocking it against Ben’s toes, his soft green eyes staring at him with an intense curiosity.

“There’s no chance that he sent someone to follow you, right?” Ben asks, looking over the top of Hux’s head to the vast sea before them.

“Don’t be so paranoid, Ben,” Hux says, slapping Ben’s ankle with the back of his hand. “I wasn’t followed. I took a different route today just to make sure. Besides, there’s no one in our entire clan who can keep up with me.” He gives his tail a small flap, droplets of water dripping down the bright scales as he lifts it into the air.

The intense mix of elegance and _power_ of Hux’s tail _astounds_ Ben. Red in colour, his scales darken towards the tip to the point where they _almost_ look black, adding to his regal appearance. His tail fin looks soft to the touch, opulent and crimson, branching out in a flame-like shape with black lines running down it in various directions like veins. Ben recalls Hux telling him once that his fin shape is uncommon; it signifies his royal blood, his noble place among his clan, his claim to his father’s throne.

“Is that for me?” Hux asks, distracting Ben’s wandering mind from the glory of Hux’s tail. Ben looks up, finding the merman staring eagerly at the little drawstring bag resting against Ben’s hip.

“Yeah,” Ben replies, picking the bag up, smiling at Hux’s blunt question. “Nothing as exciting as last time, though. Sorry.”

Hux shuffles up the beach, using his tail as leverage to help himself up until he’s sitting next to Ben, his tail bent up slightly as though he has _knees_ , waves lapping at his fin. Ben watches him carefully as he hands Hux the bag, who almost snatches it from Ben’s grip, opening it eagerly.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” Hux says, his hand rustling around in the bag, wondering what to pull out first. “I just _mentioned_ that I like collecting things. I wasn’t implying that you have to bring me gifts.”

Ben shrugs. “Nothing in there is of any _real_ value. Just. Little things that I thought you’d find interesting.”

Ben hopes that his blush isn’t obvious but Hux smiles and Ben knows that the merman has noticed. He pulls the first item out of the bag, holding the object in his hand, its body long and cold with three tines at the end. The merman studies is carefully, eyeing its sharp tips. Ben smirks, never having seen anyone so fascinated by a fork before.

“It’s a—,” Ben starts, but Hux shushes him immediately.

“Let me _guess,”_ Hux says, and Ben nods, forgetting how much Hux likes to try and prove that he’s more knowledgeable about humans than any other merman. With his elegant fingers, Hux touches the tips, spinning the object around in his hand, holding it out in front of him. “It’s for your hair.”

Bringing the tips of the fork up to his head, Hux pushes the tines through part of his wet hair, brushing it back, looking proud as though he’s convinced that he’s sussed it. Ben laughs, reaching out to grab Hux’s wrist and gently pry the fork away from Hux’s hair.

“ _No,_ ” Ben says, “it’s used for eating. So you don’t have to touch your food.”

Hux frowns, looking down at the object and then back up at Ben. “Why can’t you touch your food?”

“I mean, we _can_ , it’s just we don’t want to get our fingers dirty. Keep it clean, you know?” Ben says, knowing that he’s only confused Hux _more._

“Strange,” Hux says, setting the fork down on the sand and reaching back into the bag, pulling out a handful of bottle caps, analysing them with awe in his bright eyes at their varying colours and patterns. “I’ve seen these before. Humans leave them in the sand sometimes. They pull them off of jars and then they can drink.”

Ben raises his eyebrows. “Yeah. Bottle caps. They keep the liquid _inside_ the jar,” he replies, looking at Hux with fond eyes, droplets of water dripping down his pale chest, glistening in the fading sunlight.

“And lastly,” Hux says, pouring the bottle caps back into the bag and pulling out the last item, a small piece of string that’s been knotted together at both ends. Hux pulls at it, though the knot doesn’t undo, it only tightens. Holding it up to his eye, he looks through the hole, and Ben can’t stifle his chuckle.

“Do you want me to tell you what it is?” Ben says, leaning in closer to Hux, his warm breath drying out some of the arid droplets of water on Hux’s prominent cheekbones.

“ _No,”_ Hux says, staring intensely at the thin, twisted piece of thread. He sighs. “…Yes.”

“It’s called string,” Ben says, taking it from Hux’s hands. “You use it to tie things together. To hold them in place. It’s usually one, long piece but I fastened the ends together so…” He looks up slowly to meet Hux’s gaze, holding the string between his thumb and forefinger. “So you can wear it on your wrist.”

Though Hux’s expression remains relatively neutral, his eyes soften and a light blush appears on his cheeks as he holds his wrist out, clenching his fingers into a fist so Ben is able to slide the piece of string onto his arm. He does so elegantly, grazing the string over Hux’s knuckles to its destination, and he feels Hux’s warm gaze upon him. It fits almost perfectly, though it hangs off Hux’s wrist very slightly; Hux’s wrists are smaller than Ben had anticipated.

“I didn’t want to get you anything that would make your father suspect that you’re visiting a human,” Ben explains, wishing it could be a more expensive gift, but supposes that Hux returning to his clan wearing fine jewellery from the land of the humans wouldn’t be very subtle.

Hux slides his arm around Ben’s waist, leaning in until his lips are almost upon Ben’s.

“I love it,” he whispers, giving Ben a chaste kiss, gentle and slow like the waves that lap the shore around them.

Ben kisses back with equal passion, moving his hand up Hux’s chest to push him back onto the sand, cradling the merman’s head with his forearm, not wanting to get sand in his perfect, copper hair. Ben props himself up on his side, never once breaking the kiss, smiling as Hux entangles his fingers in Ben’s dark hair.

“I want to stay with you,” Hux says, pulling away and opening his eyes slowly, blinking against the fading light. Ben looks down at him with warm eyes, never failing to get tired of listening to how much Hux wants to be with him. “I want to walk with you on the sand. I want to run through the grass and leap into your arms. I want to be human, Ben. _I want to be with you.”_

“I know,” Ben says, pressing a quick, soft kiss to Hux’s lips, hearing the growing desperation in his tone. Ben slides his hand down Hux’s stomach, over his bellybutton to his tail, brushing his fingertips over Hux’s crimson scales.

Hux relaxes underneath Ben’s touch, his tailfin waving slightly underneath the warm softness of Ben’s fingers.

“Your legs would be long. And smooth,” Ben whispers, his lips resting against Hux’s cheek, talking slowly and softly, hearing Hux’s breaths becoming more in-sync with the sounds of the gentle waves. “They’d have freckles, just like your cheeks. You’d be able to run so fast, Hux. Just like you can swim.” Smoothing his hand down Hux’s tail, Ben imagines finding Hux on the beach one day, waiting for him with a beaming smile, standing on two, pale legs and running towards him, leaping into Ben’s open and warm arms. Despite wanting to carry him home, Hux would insist on walking, skipping, jogging, _anything_ that would mean him using his new human body in ways that his merman body would’ve prevented him. Ben’s hand moves to the side of Hux’s tail, imagining shapely calves, imagining his fingers brushing along fine hairs, imagining how _good_ it would feel to have Hux’s legs around his waist.

“I want that. All of that,” Hux says, absently moving his tail as though he himself is imagining along with Ben’s fantasies. His voice cracks as he cranes his neck up, pulling Ben’s head down so Hux is able to place desperate kisses on his cheek. “We could walk all day in the sun, never having to worry about anyone else. Just you and me.”

“Someday, Hux. I promise,” Ben says, melting underneath the pressure of Hux’s kisses, sighing, unsure of whether he believes his own words but he’ll go along with it, so desperate to believe that there’s a way for them to be together.

Hux nods, but his gaze is drawn away from Ben and towards the sea, noting the moon rising in place of the falling sun.

“I…I should go,” Hux says, though everything about his demeanour tells Ben that he wants to stay. “My father will be getting curious about where I’ve gone.”

“Yeah,” Ben replies in a soft tone, a vain attempt at keeping the disappointment out of his voice.

Using his arm to help Hux up, Ben gives his merman one final, longing kiss before letting him go. This is the most painful part of every one of their meetings; where Ben has to watch Hux swim away from him, disappearing back into the depth of the sea where Ben can’t see him, can’t _touch_ him.

Tears are brimming in Hux’s emerald eyes as he shuffles back into the water, the little bag in his hand, the string around his wrist. Ben can’t help but follow him, crawling forwards, fingers twitching as though wanting to grab Hux and hold onto him with everything he’s got. Ben kneels at the edge of the water, staring as Hux begins to swim away.

“Goodnight Ben,” Hux says, paddling backwards slowly though the shallow water, arms gliding through the water.

“Goodnight Hux,” Ben replies, standing up slowly, finding his legs shaking.

Hux doesn’t know what that feels like.

When his merman is almost out of sight, Ben turns and heads back to the cliff, back to the home that he should be sharing with Hux…but it’s an impossibility, a fantasy, nothing more. His heart flutters sadly in his chest, all hope lost that he could ever build a life with the man he’s so desperately falling for. Climbing the steps slowly, Ben rubs his eyes, gazing back over the glorious view of the moonlit sea when he reaches the top. Oddly, Hux is back in his line of sight, hovering in the water, his copper hair illuminated by the pale moonlight, like an ethereal crown on his royal head. Ben raises his hand, and Hux does the same, raising his right hand high into the air. Ben can still see the piece of string around Hux’s thin wrist, as though it’s tied them together.

Even with them so far apart, it’s like Hux is suddenly next to him, as Ben swears he can hear Hux’s voice echoing around him, warm and comforting, soft and soothing.

_I don’t know when, I don’t know how. But I know something’s starting right now. Watch and you’ll see. Someday I’ll be part of your world._

**Author's Note:**

> Don't imagine that [this male cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q197-F6hfeU) of _Part Of Your World (Reprise)_ is Hux singing it to Ben.
> 
> ALSO, how much does male Ariel look like Hux...? //[ x](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/Ek0YuWKenEP2C0iykfcnHgRsbXU/fit-in/2048xorig/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2014/11/13/846/n/3019466/405309b37cbd1860_Ariel-Eric/i/Eric-Male-Ariel.jpg) // [x](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b3/06/bf/b306bf406f9ae5f3586bd43e1575b93b.png) // [x](http://orig07.deviantart.net/9c3f/f/2014/285/0/3/ariel4_by_head_over_fins-d82midp.png) // 
> 
> Thank you for reading! My tumblr is [@solohux](http://solohux.tumblr.com/) ❤️


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